Responsible shopping! Totentanz Store, Second-Hand shops, and Make-up of the day.

Hello beautiful people!

Today we have a different kind of post! As you can see from the AMAZEBALLS intro, there’s a photo of me.

In this article, I will just highlight some of the products used for this look and make-up, and talk about shopping responsibly!

I am a huge fan of second-hand (thrift) shops / flea markets. You can really find great quality clothes (and accessories) for a convenient price.

• Clothing and Responsible Shopping

All my life, I bought new clothing fresh and packed from the shop (or market of my home city). The main reason was, of course, the price, and the MUST of having new untouched products, which is (sadly) a strong point of view in Italian culture. I don’t and didn’t want to invest money to feed famous brands with overpriced, medium-quality products. (Important note, I still keep many of the shirts/dresses bought even 15 years ago!) 🤯

In recent years, especially after moving to Finland, most of my new pieces would come from H&M or other similar companies. Of course, it’s cheap and even having a different style from the mainstream, I still could find interesting clothing to buy. However, it’s not the most responsible choice. Being a student back then, and working now in retail, still I can’t and wouldn’t pay with a kidney for clothing.

During this forced time at home, I did spring (winter would be more accurate in Finland) cleaning. I gifted bags of clothing or sold them on Tori, and I reduced my visits to H&M and other shops. Of course, it’s good to help the economy, but it’s even better to recycle and give new life to old, existing apparel, AND help the economy at the same time.

So, if you are wondering where I bought that beautiful lace shirt, it’s from a second-hand shop called Fida. With UFF, it’s one of the best companies in Finland for second-hand stuff. Moreover, some of the locations even have a particular differentiation, and vintage is usually the most popular segment. This shirt doesn’t have the tag anymore so I don’t know which company created this masterpiece, but it’s still in perfect condition, and I paid around €4 for that beauty!!! *me happy* 🥰

I have searched for the hat in this picture for months, I looked for a similar one in every corner, every secondhand shop, but no luck. Thanks to my friend Elisa, I found this store, Totentanz, near central Helsinki, that sells alternative clothing (including secondhand!). Most of the products sold there are from a brand I really love, Killstar. They also sell CDs and accessories, such a lovely place! Finally, my wish came true and I finally got my witchy hat! YAY! 🧙🏻‍♀️

• Make-Up

Oh, this is one of my everyday make-up! Violet is just MY color (yep, I guess you got it by now 😅), so I use it almost always on my eyes as well. So, let’s start from the eyes!

First of all, I used the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (the original one). I think it’s one of the best or THE best primer ON EARTH!🌍 I have extremely oily eyelids and I use it even when I go to sauna, and my eyelids feel normal/dry. In other situations, make-up stays in place the whole day.

Then, I used the beautiful palette by Viva La Diva Cosmetics, a Swedish brand that can be bought at Kicks. I really love their products. The price point is great for the quality, and they have a good selection, especially for the lipsticks!

I used this palette (Inked Eyeshadows) for the colors on the eyes, as a bronzer/contouring, and as a lip liner.

My best friend and companion of a lifetime, which is my eyeliner, is from the brand Essence. It’s the waterproof Eyeliner Pen, and I would never change it. I tried other eyeliner pens, but so far, I couldn’t find one that performs better and has a reasonable price. This one costs around 3 to 4 euros!! And it lasts forever: I can tell you honestly because I use it every day or every other day! The problem with eyeliner pens is that they dry very quickly. This is not the case.

Also, the rest of the face is mainly from Essence. I used the Eyebrow Pomade Pencil Superlast 24h Waterproof (will review this later). On the waterline, I used the Longlasting Eye pencil in 01 Black Fever. The mascara is the Lash Sensational from Maybelline.

The lipgloss is the What the Fake! Plumping lip filler by Essence also (review coming). It’s such an interesting product, ha! I won’t spoil anything yet, but it does its job. 💋

Last, but not least… my favorite foundation! It’s the Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation by Nyx. Full coverage and it performs better than most foundations by other, well-known brands. Money always well spent. The concealer under the eyes is the Essence Skin Loving Sensitive concealer. I think it’s my new Holy Grail concealer. It gives full/perfect coverage, but it doesn’t feel heavy nor highlights small lines. It’s non-comedogenic (AMEN!). It includes aloe vera, plus it has NO fragrance, NO alcohol, NO silicones, NO parabens, and all that bad stuff.

For today that’s ALL, thank you for reading this! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or e-mail. 💜

Valentina